In December, I’m taking a small-boat cruise to the Galapagos with my mom. As I’m reviewing the packing list and my wildlife photography tips, getting ready for the adventure, I’m also bracing for the experience of being the only queer person on the boat โ most likely. LGBTQ family travel is different from couples travel and solo travel, especially when you’re on a group tour. Your family doesn’t “look like” all the other families on the trip and many of them sadly can’t relate. Since intergenerational LGBTQ+ travel is on my mind right now, I thought I’d update this post with a glance at what’s changed, for better and sometimes for worse.
This post was written in 2023 and last updated in October 2025.
First things first: LGBTQ family travel is still more complicated than it should be.
So do other intersectional identities your family members hold hold. BIPOC families and interracial families may face added scrutiny. Neurodiverse children, children with disabilities, and gender expansive children who don’t “look like” a boy or girl at first glance may attract attention. Add in an LGBTQ+ identity and it can be tempting to skip a vacation, go to the same destination you picked last year and the year before (because it’s “safe”) or just stay closetedย โ and drag family members back into the closet, too.
LGBTQ+ family travel is more complicated than a simple Disney trip. But it’s also joyous and empowering. It creates amazing memories for your family, while teaching so many valuable lessons and skills.
So why shortchange ourselves out of awesome experiences if we don’t have to?
In this post, I want to round up the top ways traveling as an LGBTQ+ family is different โย and how planning in advance can minimize stress and unwanted scrutiny, to make your family trip more enjoyable!
Read on for four ways LGBTQ family travel is different and my #1 travel tip for LGBTQ families.
1. LGBTQ Friendly holiday destinations aren’t always family-friendly
The best place for an LGBTQ family trip is an LGBTQ-friendly destination, right?
That’s where it gets tricky. Many of the most popular queer vacation spots aren’t the most family-friendly.
Take Provincetown.
When I lived in Boston, my partner and I went to Ptown at least once a year.
I love Ptown! And whenever I see families with kids in tow poking around Commercial Street, I cringe. Those families start off at the arty end thinking Ptown is so cute…and wander a bit too far down the main drag, hit the bars and sex shops and get offended.
Look, I get it. They don’t want their kids to see age-inappropriate stuff. Yet they’ve brought them to an adult playground โ a proudly queer vacation destination that celebrates queer culture and sex positivity.
In classic gay and lesbian vacation spots, like Fire Island and Provincetown, the scene caters to adults. Booze flows freely at bars and restaurants. Drag shows and cabaret performances are everywhere, at all hours of the day – not confined to late night when the kids have gone to sleep.
Hotels skew adults only too. They don’t have amenities for kids because they weren’t developed with kids in mind. Plus, the patrons who chose that hotel and that summer beach destination expect an adults-only atmosphere. When Little Timmy’s ball hits their beach lounger, they get annoyed and sometimes they let it show.
Queer adults deserve carefree spaces. Queer families deserve to be seen.
There are tons of family-friendly destinations that are also queer-friendly and a teeny-tiny amount of queer-friendly places for adults to go.
Why schedule a holiday to a place where you have to tiptoe around the adults in the room when you can go so many other places?
And if you really want to experience the magic of Provincetown for rainbow families, visit during Family Week when you can expect the partying to be toned-down and kid-inclusive.
2. LGBTQ Families need inclusive accommodations
A gay hotel is sure to be LGBTQ friendly, right?
Actually, I’ve felt just as unseen and unwelcome at gay hotels as I have at big hotel chains.
When I checked into a gay hotel in Cambodia with my wife, we were asked if we wanted a room with one bed or two. When we asked for a room with one bed, the clerk repeated that he could give us a room with two beds.
LGBTQ+ people get used to not being seen or having our needs considered.
Consider the high percentage of coworkers who don’t want to hear about family stories or dates when they involve LGBTQ people, but think nothing of dating stories or family drama from cisgender, heterosexual colleagues, just to name one common and grating example.
When queer travelers feel like they are not seen or are actively disrespected during check-in, the interaction sets a negative tone for the family holiday.
If hotels want to meet the needs of LGBTQ travelers, including families, it starts with proper training at the front desk.
“Simple things like respecting pronouns and recognizing when you are dealing with a queer couple can make all the difference,” GAY TIMES editor Lewis Corner says in Globetrender’s The Future of Queer Travel report.
Filtering hotel reviews by phrases like “LGBTQ” can provide insight into the experiences of other LGBTQ travelers who have stayed at various accommodations. Additionally, reaching out directly to the property and asking about their practices and resources regarding LGBTQ families can help gauge their level of inclusivity.
Training hotel staff on how to respectfully meet the needs of queer travelers is a first step in making hotels actually inclusive of LGBTQ families. But what about other guests?
LGTBQ families deserve assurances that their children can enjoy hotel amenities without rude questions or stares from other guests. The question becomes, how can accommodations go beyond stock photos of same-sex families or rainbow flags during Pride month to make LGBTQ people feel welcome?
5 Questions to ask a hotel before you book
- โDo you welcome LGBTQ families?โ
This one is on the nose. But how they answer that says a lot. If you get the dreaded โyes, we welcome everyone,โ steer clear. good answer conveys warmth and inclusivity. - โAre your staff trained in LGBTQ inclusivity?โ
Hotels that invest in diversity and sensitivity training tend to provide better experiences at every touchpoint. Look for a “yes and” answer here โ more than one word, they should be able to explain how staff are trained. - โAre there any gender neutral restrooms or facilities in your hotel?โ
Just like inclusivity training, gender neutral facilities are a sign that a hotel gets it. They understand why gender neutral facilities are an added perk, and they’ve made an effort to serve all customers. “Yes” is the best answer, but it may not be realistic for every hotel. An “I don’t know” answer suggests they’ve never really thought about it. You can draw your own conclusions from that! - โDo you support local LGBTQ initiatives or events?โ
This question takes you beyond pinkwashing to see which hotels truly contribute to local inclusion: sponsoring Pride parades, hosting events, and supporting local queer-owned businesses. - “Can you recommend some LGBTQ+ things to do in your area?”
A hotel is a base camp for exploring the community. This question shows you how well-versed staff are in the local LGBTQ+ scene. Best case scenario, they point you toward some things you hadn’t discovered on your own. A midrange scenario is they have to go look this up for you. Watch for any hesitation, hemming and hawing or vague comments โ all red signs that point to reluctance.
3. Family travel resources don’t recognize LGBTQ Family Travel needs
LGBTQ families have always existed. But as a travel demographic, we are more visible in recent years, thanks to laws and policies that support us.
Our relative ‘newness’ means that many tour operators are travel companies haven’t fully considered what we need, or how an LGBTQ family holiday in Canada is different from any other family holiday in Canada.
As a result, they often take the same 5-day itinerary and slap an LGBTQ label on it, complete with some stock photos of same-sex couples and rainbow flags.
My favorite example of this is when a tour operator pink washed their brand and came out with an LGBTQ-friendly Scotland tour that bragged about visiting locations with Harry Potter ties.
Hello???
JK Rowling loathes transgender people. She mocks them constantly and uses a sizable portion of her Potter royalties to persecute them.
Many LGBTQ+ people actively boycott HP as a result of its author’ one-woman anti-trans crusade. A tour company that doesn’t know that is one that doesn’t know how to serve trans and queer people.
So, how do you know which tour companies truly support LGBTQ+ travelers, and which ones just want our money?
I’ve rounded up lists of the best gay tours and lesbian group trips, and the best LGBTQ custom tour operators. These are all run by queer people for queer people โ and some have family-friendly itineraries!
But if you want to find out if a general tour operator is queer friendly….
Or if you want to see whether Princess or Carnival is better for LGBTQ families…
It’s a lot harder to tell.
My #1 tip is to make a list of possible mainstream tour operators, then check for affiliations and partnerships.
Affiliations to look for include membership in IGLTA, the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association, or Travel Unity, a DEI travel nonprofit.
Check if they have a DEI commitment, or if their mission or values statement mentions inclusivity
Look at the policies that tour operators have, including how they support LGBTQ+ communities in the places they visit or what kinds of Pride-month messaging they put out on social media.
The right kind of tour operators will show they support queer people with constant actions over time. Like these travel brands that doubled down on inclusivity
4. LGBTQ Family Travel Requires Understanding Laws and Rights
Safety is a top consideration for LGBTQ travelers. But especially for families.
LGBTQ parents need to consider their children’s safety first and foremost.
That means not exposing the children to harm or taking unnecessary risk by traveling to a place where their identities are criminalized.
If they do plan a bucket list trip to countries that criminalize homosexuality, they’ll take extra steps to reduce the risk.
This may be one reason why Airbnbs are more popular among LGBTQ travelers than the general population, according to research from Morning Consult Brand Intelligence.
Some LGBTQ families may feel more secure in a vacation rental, where they won’t interact with other guests or staff, than in a hotel.
But Airbnbs aren’t always better โ especially for local communities, which can be harmed by Airbnbification of rental properties.
Book with confidence at these LGBTQ-friendly hotel brands.
Living in a popular tourist area, I’ve watched the short term rental economy wreak havoc on my community. I saw that the first to be displaced due to rent hikes and shortages were queer people and people of color.
Ever since, it’s been impossible for me to equal Airbnbs with safety and peace of mind when I’ve seen the lasting damage they can do to people and communities.
Travel safety is not guaranteed โ whether you’re cis or trans, queer or straight. I believe this so strongly that I open my LGBTQ+ travel book with this theme, busting the myth that our choices will keep us safe โ the myth that if we are harmed, we are somehow responsible for it.
Things can go wrong anywhere, for any reason.
But in my book, this is not a reason to stay home.
It’s a reason to educate yourself on what could happen, plan and prepare โ so you’re equipped to have the best experience possible.
For LGBTQ families, knowing which destinations welcome LGBTQ travelers, booking inclusive hotels and traveling with LGBTQ-friendly tour companies all reduce risk and increase the chances of an epic family vacation โ you know, the kind you talk about for all the right reasons!
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